GLOBAL E-COMMERCE: ISSUE 07

1.Alibaba’s Lazada is courting sellers affected by Indonesia’s e-commerce ban on social media

Lazada , a Southeast Asian e-commerce giant backed by Alibaba, is extending a hand to sellers affected by Indonesia's recent e-commerce ban on platforms such as TikTok . From 3rd October onward, there will be no fees for Indonesian sellers who use Lazada for livestream sales (Chiang, 2023). James Chang, CEO of Lazada Indonesia, emphasized the company's commitment to aiding micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) impacted by the changes, offering them a platform on Lazada to continue their sales.

2.Chus - Vietnam's Pioneering E-Commerce Platform Solely Dedicated to Authentic 'Made in Vietnam' Handicrafts

Chus is an online marketplace for Vietnamese handicraft products. It was founded by Mr. Injoon Song, who has lived and worked in Vietnam for over 4 years. Chus offers a wide variety of products, including handmade works, local specialties, and consumer goods. Chus's mission is to inspire and enable consumers to shop with a focus on quality, reflecting their personal style while supporting and celebrating Vietnamese beauty, culture, and quality craftsmanship (thanhnien.vn, 2023).

3. Global Payments Inc. and Visa Launch Mobile Tap Payment Solution in Singapore

Global Payment Inc. and Visa has recently introduced a smartphone-based payment solution that eliminates the need for additional hardware for sellers. This solution utilizes Visa's Tap to Phone (TTP) technology and is accessible to merchants using NFC-enabled Android devices through a dedicated application. This innovative approach removes the requirement for conventional point-of-sale terminals. Notably, one of the key advantages of Mobile Tap is its capacity to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a cost-effective digital payment option, thereby facilitating increased involvement in the digital economy and simplifying transactions for both merchants and customers (Singapore, 2023).

4.Vietnamese Authorities Identify E-commerce and Tax Issues in TikTok's Operations; Urges Immediate Rectification

According to Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications, after more than 4 months of comprehensive inspection of TikTok's operations in the nation, the inter-agency inspection team has identified several violations by TikTok in Vietnam related to e-commerce and taxes. Therefore, the inter-agency inspection team has recommended that the Ministry of Information and Communications take measures to compel TikTok Singapore to promptly address the shortcomings in providing social media services, cross-border advertising services, and cross-border e-commerce services into Vietnam, as identified in the inspection findings (bich ngoc, 2023).

5.Alibaba ’s Cainiao and AliExpress start ‘5-day global delivery’ service for consumers in UK, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea

Customers in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and South Korea can now anticipate receiving their AliExpress packages within just five working days. This swift delivery is the result of a collaboration between 阿里巴巴集团 Holding's international e-commerce platform and its Cainiao Smart Logistics Network. Following its successful introduction in these five countries, the enhanced delivery service is poised to expand to other nations soon (Qu, 2023).

REFERENCE LIST

Bich Ngoc (2023). Vietnam finds TikTok guilty of breaching information security, e-commerce laws. [online] DealStreetAsia. Available at: https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/vietnam-tiktok-breach-365883 [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].

Chiang, S. (2023). Alibaba’s Lazada is courting sellers affected by Indonesia’s e-commerce ban on social media. [online] CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/06/alibabas-lazada-woos-sellers-affected-by-indonesias-e-commerce-ban.html [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].

Qu, T. (2023). Alibaba’s Cainiao and AliExpress start ‘5-day global delivery’ service. [online] South China Morning Post. Available at: https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3235863/alibabas-cainiao-and-aliexpress-start-5-day-global-delivery-service-consumers-uk-spain-netherlands [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].

Singapore, F.N. (2023). Global Payments and Visa Launch Mobile Tap Payment Solution in Singapore. [online] Fintech Singapore. Available at: https://fintechnews.sg/78584/payments/global-payments-and-visa-launch-mobile-tap-payment-solution-in-singapore/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].

thanhnien.vn (2023). L?n ??u tiên có sàn th??ng m?i ?i?n t? chuyên bán hàng th? c?ng ‘made in Vietnam’. [online] thanhnien.vn. Available at: https://thanhnien.vn/lan-dau-tien-co-san-thuong-mai-dien-tu-chuyen-ban-hang-thu-cong-made-in-vietnam-185231003173702562.htm [Accessed 6 Oct. 2023].